In the spring of 2019, talk of who had the strongest arm in the NFL picked up as fans and football media began debating whether it was Josh Allen or Patrick Mahomes that could throw the ball the furthest.
Over the last year, both players have publicly stated that they are on board to compete against each other in order to settle this debate. Unfortunately, the 2019 season and then the health crisis delayed this throwing contest. Yet, both players appear to be even more committed now than ever before.
Along with their commitment, online sports betting sites have released a handful of prop bets for this potential throwing showdown. Let’s take a look back at how this all started, examine the prop bets, and make some winning predictions.
Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen might be ready to settle the debate over the NFL’s strongest arm 🚀 pic.twitter.com/1vKQ7hU4J6
— ESPN (@espn) August 6, 2020
What Mahomes and Allen Are Saying About the Contest
Last year, after fans and media hype about a throwing contest between these two young QBs started to reach a fever pitch, the former NFL MVP and Super Bowl winning QB Patrick Mahomes turned this spark into a massive flame when he made the following comments about a throwing competition:
“Josh is a great dude. But no one that I’ve known has been able to throw a ball farther than me. I’ve never seen Josh throw in person but maybe next offseason we can set something up (to see who can throw farther). Hopefully I can get him to come down to Kansas City, and we can do something for charity. It’s going to take at least 85 yards to win (the throw-off).”
It didn’t take long before Allen was in agreement with Mahomes to do a competition. Unfortunately, they were unable to get something worked out before the 2019 NFL season, but apparently had the competition lined up for the summer of 2020.
Recent health concerns put those 2020 summer plans on hold according to Josh Allen in a recent interview during Buffalo’s training camp:
“We had something in place. It was supposed to be this summer. But obviously some restrictions had that shot down. Yes, I’m game. Pat’s got, obviously, one of the strongest arms in the league. Just the things that he’s able to do on a football field are incredible to watch.”
Despite the uncertainty of when it will happen, both franchise QBs are in agreement to have this competition and raise money for charities of their choice.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at the available prop bets courtesy of SportsBetting.ag.
Who Will Throw It the Furthest?
- Josh Allen (+110)
- Patrick Mahomes (-140)
Patrick Mahomes is now listed as the betting favorite. However, it was Josh Allen who was the favorite when betting odds for this competition first came out in April 2019. Allen was listed with odds ranging from -140 to -170.
16 months later, and a Super Bowl victory, Patrick Mahomes has surged ahead with oddsmakers as the favorite.
In 2018, Josh Allen reportedly had the longest completion in game at just under 64 yards. However, Mahomes surpassed Allen in 2019 when he had one go just over 55 yards. Keep in mind, this is only for a completed pass based on yards in the air.
@CSimmsQB Are you sure Josh Allen doesn’t have a stronger arm? 👀
this is “effortless” 70 yard throws😱 pic.twitter.com/pBuEO9XtHC
— Garnet West (@Garnet478) August 6, 2020
Madden 21 football gives the edge to Josh Allen in the strongest arm competition. Allen has a game high 99 rating in Madden for throwing power while Mahomes is at 97.
With a bigger frame and a very strong arm, in addition to betting value, I’m taking Josh Allen to win this prop bet.
Who Will Throw It the Furthest? –Josh Allen (+110)
How Far Will They Throw?
- Over 83.5 yards (-115)
- Under 83.5 yards (-115)
Now, we turn our attention to how far the deepest pass will go. Mahomes has repeatedly stated that he can throw the ball 85 yards and that someone will have to chuck it further than that to beat him. At his pro day, Mahomes reportedly threw 80 to 83 yards down field.
There’s numerous videos of Josh Allen throwing the ball 70 yards with relative ease. One such video is of Allen dropping a 70 yard dime at his Combine workout. You can also find videos of Allen throwing the ball 50 yards while on his knees.
With that said, these guys will easily throw it Over 83.5 yards. I wouldn’t be surprised if we got close to 90 yards.
How Far Will They Throw? –Over 83.5 yards (-115)
Who Will Throw It the Fastest?
- Josh Allen (-130)
- Patrick Mahomes (+110)
In addition to Allen having a larger throwing power rating in Madden 21, he’s also set the NFL Combine record for fastest throw. In 2018, Allen was clocked throwing a ball at 62 miles per hour.
Mahomes can clearly gun a ball as well, but his fastest throw had been clocked at 60 miles per hour, which is just below Allen’s recorded best.
With that said, Allen is the right QB to be favored for this portion of the competition and he should throw the fastest ball during a head to head contest.
Who Will Throw It the Fastest? –Josh Allen (-130)
How Fast Will They Throw?
- Over 60.5 mph (-145)
- Under 60.5 mph (+115)
As mentioned above, Allen threw 62 mph and Mahomes has thrown at a speed of 60 mph. I fully expect the fastest throw to be at least 61 mph in a throw-off between the two QBs. Take the Over.
How Fast Will They Throw? –Over 60.5 mph (-145)
Will We Get Clarity During the 2020 NFL Season?
In an interesting twist to this “strongest arm debate,” these two QBs will get a chance to prove who has the biggest cannon in Week 6 of the 2020 NFL season when the Buffalo Bills host the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday Night Football.
Coming Soon: @JoshAllenQB vs. @PatrickMahomes
The throwing contest the world needs to see. 🚀
📺: @GMFB pic.twitter.com/5IiX9A2QUR
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) August 5, 2020
It’s a primetime matchup that features two of the top teams in the AFC as the Chiefs look to repeat as Super Bowl champs and the Bills look to be a real postseason contender for the first time this century.
The last time these two teams played against each other was November 2017 and Buffalo went out on the road to defeat Kansas City at Arrowhead Stadium. However, Patrick Mahomes was a rookie riding the bench and Josh Allen was still at Wyoming leading the Cowboys on the gridiron.
The October 15th, 2020, matchup between these two teams will mark the first time that Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes have faced off against each other. Will this be a telling sign as to who will win the head to head throwing contest?
Even if Allen can win the throwing competition, and the October TNF game, Mahomes will be just fine as he sleeps next to the Super Bowl trophy, NFL MVP trophy, and wipes his tears away with the largest football contract in the history of the sport.
Rick Rockwell
As a longtime freelance writer, avid sports fan, former athlete, and experienced sports bettor, Rick Rockwell has risen up the ranks at GamblingSites.org to become the self-professed “King of the Blog” in his first year with the site. …
